Pentecost Island has become famous throughout the world for the
land diving ritual (Nagol or N'gol) which occurs every Saturday
between April and June.

The ritual, which influenced the invention of bungy jumping by
New Zealander AJ Hackett, sees local men and boys as young as seven
jump from a 20 -30 metre high manmade tower with only a vine
attached to their legs. The tower itself takes locals five weeks to
build using materials from the forest.

Travelling to view this magnificent ceremony is a once in a
lifetime experience. No words can express the feeling of the ground
vibrating under the dancing and stomping feet of villages and the
excitement of sitting beneath the tower waiting with unease for the
diver to jump safely to ground.

The awe inspiring ceremony celebrates the yam harvest and is a
fertility rite for men. The story of the festival tells of a woman
who ran away from her husband and hid in a tall tree. The husband,
Tamale begged her to say sorry and come down. She refused so he
climbed the tree after her and as he reached the top she jumped. In
his anguish Tamale jumped after her, only to realise that she had
tied liana vines around her ankles. The woman survived while Tamale
perished. To this day, men jump from the tower as a show of
strength to women in the village and as a statement that they
cannot be tricked again. When the vine stretches at the end of the
dive the land divers head curls under their shoulders to touch the
earth, making it fertile for the following year's yam crop.

Penecoste Island is a 50-55 min flight from Port Vila

We know Vanuatu best! For all your outer island experiences contact the people that know!